Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The Future of Farming (?)


I visited my sister and mother this weekend. I spotted this tomato and pepper plant on their balcony. My sister asked if she should get a bigger pot for them. Mind you, the pepper is in an 8 oz. cup! The tomato in a gallon or so container, probably the one it came in.

I promptly went out and bought a couple of cheapo plastic pots and some organic fertilizer from a big hardware chain. I was looking for those "earth" pots or reservoir-pots, but they did not have any. Too bad. Also, isn't time that vegetable tags have not only row-planting instructions, but pot or planter instructions?

6 comments:

  1. I think a lot of us out here are interested in the idea of gardening, of growing flowers and food, but really are completely at a loss where to begin, and know we're ignorant of even the basics. I have always thought of myself as a "black thumb," and keeping my Sago palm alive is slowly giving me some confidence. So is reading your blog-it's a great source of information, and by the time I move somewhere I can container garden, I'll feel like I at least have a fighting chance at succeeding. Thanks!

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  2. Heheheh. Actually, what Sarahh with two aitches says is good: I have been gardening for so long that I just don't get not knowing how. Which makes me an awful teacher.

    But maybe it also makes me more used to failure, except I don't see it is as that. Just something that didn't work.

    As for beginning. I think you just begin. Anywhere.

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  3. Sarahh,

    You're so kind. You have great capacity for learning, so where should we begin? Oh, why not black thumbs, the color of good compost!

    Marie,
    I've felt that the more familiar you are with failure, the better your teaching.

    Except I've always thought I wasn't failing, just experimenting. Plants fail, I experiment! Poor plants. You really must be willing to lose plants from time to time to keep the experimentation going.

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  4. Why the assumption that plants must come with instructions? Should they also come with a warning saying that the leaves are poisonous if eaten? We have this marvelous source of information at our fingertips called Google. . . :)

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  5. For those less intrepid than us...

    Besides, vegetable starts already come with row planting instructions on their tags.

    Why not for those who aren't as experienced as us?
    Some will be pleased to have "plant in rows 24 inches apart" converted into "plant into an 10 gallon container".

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If I do not respond to your comment right away, it is only because I am busy pulling out buckthorn, creeping charlie, and garlic mustard...